Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having A Plan
SBS Academy: Unit 2Module 2.7
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Learning Objectives• Understand the philosophy of periodization and its
relevance to physique competition
• Understand the influence of volume, intensity and frequency on bodybuilding training
• Be able to develop a periodization plan for bodybuilding
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Periodization theory – relevance to bodybuilding– What is periodization?
• Training organization, micro, meso and macrocycles• Encouraging long term progressive overload• Stress, fatigue, burn out, and injury risk management• Periodization is a philosophy, not a training session
– In practice, theories should overlap– Relevance to bodybuilding
• Intensity peak?
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Periodization theory – relevance to bodybuilding– Linear periodization– Undulating periodization– Acute training goals relevant to bodybuilding
• Hypertrophy• Strength• “Power” Dual athletes, pure physique competitors?
– Block periodization• Contest preparation• Offseason
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Periodization theory – relevance to bodybuilding– Not all stress is in the gym– Yet stressful events impact adaptation to training– Elements of auto-regulation included in plan– Especially during contest preparation
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Interdependence
• Increased load increases volume (sets x reps x load)• Increased frequency without decreasing volume• Added volume may alter or benefit from increased
frequency
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Intensity (load)
• RM or 1RM, %1RM, RPE based on Reps in Reserve (RIR)
– Specificity of intensity, must be “heavy enough”• Astronauts• Campos (2002), 20RM+ inferior to moderate and heavy
load• Schoenfeld (2014a), similar volume 3 vs 10RM, equal
growth • Schoenfeld (2015), 3x volume with low-loads, equal growth • Schoenfeld (2014b), meta analysis, low-loads cause
growth, but higher effect size at heavier loads
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
ResistanceExercise-specificRatingofPerceivedExertion(RPE)
Rating DescriptionofPerceivedExertion
10 Maximumeffort
9.5 Nofurtherrepetitionsbutcouldincreaseload
9 1repetitionremaining
8.5 1-2repetitionsremaining
8 2repetitionsremaining
7.5 2-3repetitionsremaining
7 3repetitionsremaining
5-6 4-6repetitionsremaining
3-4 Lighteffort
1-2 Littletonoeffort
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Percentage 1RM RepetitionsAllowed
100% 1
95% 2
90% 3
85% 4-6
80% 6-8
75% 8-10
70% 10-12
65% 12-15
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Intensity (load)– Why are very low-loads suboptimal?
• Even at failure EMG is lower at low loads (Jenkins, 2015)• Matched volume, session impulse lower (Mohamad,
2012)
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Intensity (load)– Volume vs Time Under Tension (TUT)
• TUT forgets the magnitude of tension• Impulse Force x Time
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Intensity (load)– Failure
• Increases muscle activation…• Decreases volume on subsequent sets for muscle group• Disproportionate stress to stimulus (Izquierdo, 2006)• Appropriate uses of failure – testing, final sets, isolation
– Gonzalez-Badillo (2006) 10 weeks, junior lifters• Matched volume with 46 vs 93 vs 184 reps at ≥90%
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Intensity (load)– Conclusions
• Stress levels and time demand of high rep low load training
• Stress levels and time demand of low rep high load training
• Loading 6-15RM most efficient while “heavy enough”• 50-75% of volume in the 6-15RM range• Remaining volume heavier for long term adaptation
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Volume (total workload)– Tracking volume
• Compound barbell movements vs secondary movements
• Volume load (sets x reps x load), repetitions per body part
– Volume over a career • Relative to individual
– Volume over macrocycle• Contest preparation• Offseason
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Volume (total workload)– Determines magnitude of adaptation…to a point– Match volume to training age– Wernbom (2007) hypertrophy systematic review
• Plateau and decline after ~40-70 reps/muscle group/session
• Majority untrained, novice, intermediate with some advanced
– Gonzalez-Badillo (2006) 10 weeks, junior lifters• Matched intensity with 1923 vs 2481 vs 3030 total reps
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Volume (total workload)– Skill acquisition, more practice
• Deliberate practice• Detrimental practice
– Conclusions• Volume closely associated with muscle growth• Should increase over the career, matched to training
age• Undulates over micro, meso and macrocyles• More than needed potentially detrimental
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Frequency– Not a true stimulus in and of itself– Organizes volume and intensity– Protects the quality of volume– You can do too much in a single session
• Hartman (2007), Hakkinen (1991, 1994), McLester (2000), Schoenfeld (2015)
• Endocrine, LBM, and strength superiority
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Frequency– Skill acquisition– Beneficial organization due to RBE
• Volume and frequency modify RBE
– Wernbom (2007) • 2-3x/week/muscle group• Not enough data to investigate higher frequency
– Use frequency to accommodate increases in volume
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Volume, Intensity, and Frequency– Where to start?– Wernbom (2007)
• Novice & intermediate • ½ to ¾ volume at 65-85%1RM or 6-15RM the rest heavier• ~40-70 reps per muscle group, per session • Training each muscle group 2-3x per week
– Advanced lifters may need more• Career progression
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Contest preparation macrocycle
• First third – 90 to 100% of normal training volume• Second third – 80-90% of normal training volume• Final third – 70-80% of normal training volume
– Offseason macrocycle, transition to prep• Volume increases based on performance outcomes• Start subsequent contest preps with higher volumes
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
00.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.55
OS'05-06 CP'07 OS'07-08 CP'09 OS'09-10 CP'11
VolumeOverSuccessiveMacrocycles
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Contest preparation macrocycle
• Overall goal to maintain tension stimulus• Attempt to increase strength• Only a framework to accommodate fatigue• Be flexible, autoregulate
– Offseason macrocycle • Goal to achieve continued muscle growth• Increases in strength are increases in volume• Volume increases as needed only
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Bodybuilding mesocycles (~4 weeks)
• Three to six per contest prep (typically)• Linear progression within mesocycles • Weeks more volume focused earlier in mesocycle• Weeks more intensity focused later in mesocycle
– 1-2 microcycles dedicated to taper/deload• 1/3-2/3 volume, 0-10% reduction in intensity (Pritchard,
2015)• May culminate in RM test following taper to assess
strength• 1 or 2 weeks based on mesocycle goal and individual
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
00.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.5
Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4
Mesocycle1
Volume
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
00.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.5
Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4
Mesocycle2
Volume
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
00.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.5
Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4
Mesocycle3
Volume
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
00.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.5VolumeOverSuccessiveMesocycles
Volume
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Bodybuilding microcycles– Undulating on a day to day basis
• Prevent monotony • Manage fatigue to optimize volume over microcycle• Include strength work to encourage progressive
overload
– Hypertrophy, Strength, Power• Traditional long term linear periodization order• Goal of most athletes
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Hypertrophy, Strength and Power
• In an undulating microcycle…day to day basis• Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP)
– Specific to a bodybuilding microcycle• Short term vs long term• Optimize volume vs peak in power production• Manage fatigue• Progressive overload
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Hypertrophy, Strength and Power (HSP)
• Traditional setup in DUP
– Hypertrophy, Power, Strength (HPS)• Modified setup in DUP (Zourdos, 2015 in review)
– Bodybuilding context• Day 1 – Accumulate Volume• Day 2 – Manage Fatigue• Day 3 – Encourage Progressive Overload• Repeat
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
• Developing a periodization plan– Day 1 – Accumulate Volume
• 6-12 repetitions, 8-9 RPE (1-2 RIR)
– Day 2 – Manage Fatigue• 1/3 to 1/2 of day 1 volume• “Power” (technique work) if needed, dual athletes• Or higher reps, less sets, 6-7 RPE (3-4 RIR)
– Day 3 – Encourage Progressive Overload• 1-5 repetitions, 8-10 RPE (0-2 RIR)
Unit 2- Coaching For Physique Athletes
Training Periodization – The Importance Of Having a Plan
Mesocycle 1 Day1(RPE8) Day2(RPE6.5) Day3(RPE9) Day4(RPE8)
Week1 4x10x70% 3x6x72.5% [email protected]% 4x12x65%
Week2 4x9x72.5% 3x5x75% 3x4@85% 4x11x67.5%
Week3 4x8x75% 3x4x77.5% [email protected]% 4x10x70%
Week4(taper) 3x8x70% 2x4x72.5% [email protected]% 3x10x65%
Mesocycle 1 Day1(RPE8.5) Day2(RPE7) Day3(RPE9.5) Day4(RPE8.5)
Week5 4x10x72.5% 3x6x75% 3x5@85% 4x12x67.5%
Week6 4x9x75% 3x5x77.5% [email protected]% 4x11x70%
Week7(taper) 3x8x77.5% 2x4x80% 2x3@90% 3x10x72.5%
Wk 8(taper/test) 3-5RM testlift1 3-5RMtestlift2 3-5RMtestlift3 3-5RMtestlift4
DUPstrategycanbeappliedonaperdayorperliftbasis